Obituary of Elizabeth Tilley Dunn

Mrs. Elizabeth Tilley Dunn, beloved mother, sister and grandmother, died September 3, 2013 at 10:20 P.M. in Southern Pines, NC. She had been a resident of Penick Village for the past 12 years. Her husband George Carroll Dunn preceded her in death in 2012. A memorial service for Mrs. Dunn will be held at 11:00 A. M. Saturday, December 7, 2013, in the Chapel of the First United Methodist Church of Ozark with the Reverend Meghan Kelley and the Reverend John D. Reese III officiating. Interment will be in Westview Memorial Cemetery, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday, December 6, 2013, from 4:00 P. M. until 6:00 P. M. and prior to the service on Saturday morning. Born on December 7, 1914, Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of Merle OE�Neal Tilley and James Peek Tilley, Jr. Her early life in Andalusia, AL, fostered a love and devotion to family and friends which she expressed with hospitality and humor. From the Covington County schools, she attended Judson College in Marion, AL, and graduated in 1936 with a degree in English. After her marriage, Elizabeth lived in Ozark, AL. where she and George were members of the First United Methodist Church. Elizabeth volunteered regularly. Over time, she remained active in the missionary society and was one of the first women to serve on the churchE�s administrative board. She was an enthusiastic member of the Young at Heart Sunday school class. Elizabeth will be remembered by her family and friends as a kind listener who was never too busy to encourage or empathize. She cherished her children and grandchildren and created many opportunities for them to spend time with her. She remained interested in the world and inspired those she knew to travel and embrace new experiences. She had ventured out west with the Georgia Caravans for two summers as a young woman and spent impressionable time with a favorite aunt who lived in Webster Groves, MO. When husband George went abroad, she often accompanied him. She loved summers spent at Sunnyside Beach, FL, and later in Highlands, NC. She also loved visiting her son “Bidge” in New Orleans and on the Mississippi coast. ElizabethE�s mind endured much longer than her body. She never lost her creativity, her love of music, her insistence on good food and going out with family or friends. As she aged, she reminisced often about her love of Alabama and the friends whom she cherished there. She talked about her family, the Depression, World War I and II and current affairs. She read the newspaper daily. In addition to her parents and husband, Elizabeth was preceded in death by her son, Dr. George Carroll Dunn, Jr. (“Bidge”) and a brother, James Peek Tilley III (“Jimmy”). She is survived by a daughter, Shipley Dunn Jenkins (Dr. Joe) of Chapel Hill, NC; a granddaughter, Dr. Tilley Jenkins Vogel (Dirk) of Venice Beach, CA; and two grandsons, George McKendrie “Mac” Jenkins (Lauren) of Arlington, VA; and Joseph Campbell “Camp” Jenkins (Mary Mac), also of Chapel Hill. Her great granddaughter Leila Elizabeth Vogel was born on August 11, 2013. She is also survived by her dear sister Merle Tilley Carroll of Mexico Beach, FL, and many cousins, nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; and great great nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any charity of choice or to: First United Methodist Church Communion Fund, 167 E. Broad St., Ozark, AL 36360; Firsthealth Hospice and Palliative Care, P.O. Box 5889, Pinehurst, NC 28374; Penick Village Thiede Fund for Employee Emergencies, 500 E. Rhode Island Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28388. Service Information